Washoku lunching at Nadaman

After a hectic week, dad, brother and myself headed over to Nadaman at Kowloon Shangrila Hotel for Sunday lunch. Given that it was the weekend we arrived at almost 2pm to find the restaurant fully packed and a few tables celebrating birthdays (I believe you get a free tiramisu cake with certain credit cards!). Anyway, we were led to our seats and promptly ordered as we were quite close to the last-order time of 2.30pm.  

Although I really wanted to order the kaiseki set lunch ($480) our waitress informed us that we were too late! Next time I thought, next time... Having ruled kaiseki off, the two men went with the Nadaman shokado bento boxes and a Tokusen nigiri zen called for me... 

Tokusen Nigiri Zen ($440)

from top left: chutoro (fatty bluefin tuna), hirame (flounder), akami (lean bluefin tuna), ikura gunkan (salmon roe), shira ebi gunkan (baby sweet shrimp), boiled ika (squid), tamago (egg omelette), hotate (scallop), kohada (gizzard shad), tarabagani (king crab leg),  shako (mantis prawn)

I couldn't help but be disappointed with the set. The selection, simply put, was mediocre and failed to hit the spot and I gladly gave the kohada and ika sushi away. I have seen better quality/selection in a host of sushi restaurants in Causeway Bay - xenri no tsuki and xenri d'zen being one of my top sushi lunch spots!

spinach

deep-fried tofu in crabmeat sauce

 Both of the above appetizers came with the sushi set - given my allergy I was unable to try the fried tofu but dad and brother appeared to enjoy it!

Clear dashi broth with a lovely fish and tofu cake was a good replacement of miso soup, light and tasty and I really liked the white block of half tofu, half fish 'cake'!

Appetizers for the Nadaman Shokado Bento ($390)

Sashimi selection was akami (lean bluefin tuna), botan ebi (sweet shrimp) and tai (snapper); I was more interested in  the square of tofu with thickened dashi sauce... it had the texture of cream cheese!

Shokado Bento box - clockwise from top left: simmered mixed vegetables and yellowtail; pickled cucumber and grilled eel; pan-fried beef and deep fried vegetables; mix of seafood including grilled fish, diced scallop sashimi, tamago, shrip and fishcake.

takikomi gohan aka Japanese mushroom and carrot flavoured rice

A good mix of cooked, simmered, grilled and fried foods in the bento box that went well with the takikomi gohan. It went down as a varied and healthy selection of vegetables, seafood and beef!

Dessert for most of the set lunches is a scoop of ice cream, which is not house-made but from a Japanese supplier. The choices today was pineapple, green tea, tofu and red bean. Whilst dad and the brother gladly went with the pineapple ice cream, I couldn't pass on my favourite flavour, matcha.

A cup of matcha tea comes with the dessert course, which is different from the genmaicha we are given with our meal - that was some good quality tea indeed!

Whilst I'm not sure I'll be back for sushi any time soon, the bento boxes and side items (cream cheese textured tofu(!)) were impressionable; and the good selection of raw and cooked items with the set meant the palate was never bored! I just wonder whats on the Nadaman kaiseki set?! 

Food: ♥♥♥

Service: ♥♥♥♥

Price: HK$450-500 pp; set lunches range from $220-580 here.

Nadaman
Lower Level II, Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, 

64 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

T: +852 2733 8351